Boxed produce load

ABSTRACT

A boxed produce load for refrigerated transport containers having vertically corrugated longitudinal walls defining gas circulation channels. The boxes are arranged in longitudinal and transverse rows with transverse rows compacted between the longitudinal walls and longitudinally spaced apart opposite a wall channel by means bridging the channel.

United States Patent [151 3,673,812

Pierce July 4, 1972 I 1 BOXED PRODUCE LOAD 2,442,932 6/1948 Nalbandian ..62/62 [72] Inventor: Harold C. Pierce, 234 Mountain View 222: 62/4r9 Avenue Pomona Calif. 91766 [22] Filed: Sept. 28, 1970 Primary Examiner-William J. Wye 1 pp No: 75,975 Att0rneyWhlte, Haefllger and Bachand [57] ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl ..62/404, 62/419, 62/89, A boxed produce had for f i t d transport containers 62/239, 98/6 having vertically corrugated longitudinal walls defining gas circulation channels The boxes are arranged in longitudinal Field of Search 62, and transverse rows with transverse rows compacted between the longitudinal walls and longitudinally spaced apart opposite a wall channel by means bridging the channel. [56] References Cited 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,305,075 12/1942 Gilpin ..62/4l6 I r m -l-- T T i it l, h 2 I 1 16 "-20 5. 1:. (6

i'\ i 1 1 -T-wl {I i as v n w I I5 *1: 8- i i 1 1 i W g i Li I: l I: 5/ r :f' 20 20 @IE l I: 3h ll 111 l L BOXED PRODUCE LOAD BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention has to do with boxed produce loading and is particularly concerned with improvements in the loading of boxed produce for shipment in refrigerated transport containers of the type adapted for dual use, on highways and railroad flat cars, the so-called piggyback trailer. Such refrigerated transport containers typically employ vertically corrugated longitudinal side walls spaced to closely fit the boxed produce load.

The invention provides a load spacing and bracing system for the support of the boxed produce load against shifting within the containers during shipment while utilizing the maximum practical load width of the container and affording refrigerating gas circulation for precooling the load for shipment.

2. Prior Art Previously known system for bracing of boxed produce loads have been more particularly adapted for railroad cars which are generally plane walled and have included means for spacing the load from the car wall for purposes of cooling gas circulation as well as to take up any load unused width of the car. In contrast, trailer type transport containers are more closely dimensioned relative to the load to be received and may not permit of conventional bracing structure. Moreover, the interiors of trailer transport containers, particularly where corrugated, are fabricated of plastics which are harmed by repeated nailing of braces thereto, unlike wood which which is the conventional wall liner in railroad box cars.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, a major objective of the present invention to provide a novel boxed produce load spacing and bracing system particularly adapted to refrigerate transport containers having irregularized walls in which refrigerating gas circulation is maintained about the load through the wall channels while the load is braced against shifting by supports bridging the channels.

Specifically, this objective is met in a boxed produce load for refrigerated transport containers having vertically irregularized, longitudinal walls providing plural contiguous refrigerating gas circulation channels about the container load space in which the load comprises boxes snugly confined between the longitudinal walls in plural transverse and longitudinal stacked rows and in which there is provided means spacing transverse rows opposite a wall channel for gas circulation between the rows and the channel, the spacing means bridging this wall channel. The spacing means typically includes outer uprights at opposite sides of the load inserted between vertically engaging spaced opposed outer load boxes adjacent the channels and relatively thin elements projecting from opposite sides of the uprights bridging the adjacent channel and engaged between the boxes and the wall to prevent shifting of the outer uprights during transport. Inner uprights may be provided inserted between and vertically engaging inner load boxes of the spaced transverse rows at the intersections of the longitudinal and transverse rows and with relatively thin elements projecting therefrom normally to the transverse rows and engaged between the boxes to prevent shifting of the inner uprights during transport. There may be provided a plurality of the projections on each upright at vertically spaced locations thereon.

In particular embodiments the transport container longitudinal walls are vertically corrugated with the transverse rows of boxes compacted therebetween to have their longitudinally extending box sides in closed engagement in substantially continuous vertical sequence in each stack and the spacing means is located between successive pairs of transverse rows and opposite a corrugation channel with supporting metal element projections dimensioned to permit the outer boxes to substantially completely engage the container wall. The inner uprights are located between and in the plane of outer uprights and have metal element projections normal to that plane and engaged between transversely adjacent boxes, the projections being so dimensioned as to permit the adjacent boxes to substantially completely interengage one another.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be further described as to an illustrative embodiment thereof in connection with the attached drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a rear elevational view, partly in section, of a boxed produce load in a piggyback trailer;

FIG. 2 is a view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an inner upright for bracing the load boxes in spaced relation; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an outer upright therefor.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to FIG. 1, trailer T is a typical piggyback" truck trailer having a load 1 within transport container 2 and a wheeled undercarriage 3 for the container adapted to rest on a railcar flat bed 4 or to travel over the road drawn by a tractor. The trailer transport container 2 is dimensioned in height, length and width to receive plural rows of boxes 5 constituting the load 1 which boxes may be fruit or vegetable boxes, e.g., grape, orange, lettuce or like boxes, usually rectangular in shape. The boxes 5 may be variously arranged within transport container 2, but typically the boxes are loaded with their longitudinal axis parallel to the container 2 transverse axis and their transverse or short axis parallel to the container longitudinal axis. The boxes 5 are alined in vertical stacks S extending upwardly within the container 2 corresponding box comers 6 being stacked adjacent to and vertically above one another. The stacked boxes 5 are alined in longitudinally extending rows L with their longitudinal sides 8 in opposed alinement through the rows L. The vertically stacked, longitudinally alined boxes 5 are also alined in rows T extending transversely across the container2 with their transversely extending box sides 7 being in opposed alinement through the rows T and in closed engagement in substantially continuous vertical sequences in each stack S.

Transport container 2 is provided with plane end wall 9, top wall 10, vertically irregularized longitudinal walls 11 having vertical corrugations l2 defining plural, contiguous, refrigerating gas circulation channels 13 about the container load space defined by the walls 9, l0 and 11 of the transport container. As depicted, the boxes 5 are snugly confined between the container longitudinal walls 1 l in their described transverse rows T and longitudinal rows L.

In accordance with the invention, means is provided for bracing and spacing the transverse rows T at locations 14 opposite a wall channel 13 defined by successive longitudinal corrugations 12 to provide for gas circulation (from a source not shown gas flow communicating with channels 13) between longitudinally successive transverse rows T of the load 1. The bracing and spacingmeans comprises wood outer uprights 15 carrying relatively thin elements 16 adapted to bridge a wall channel 13. Elements 16, a pair of which may be placed at vertically spaced locations on outer upright 15, (FIG. 1 may be formed of rigid plastic metal or wood and are desirably corrugated and apertured at 17 to variably accommodate nails 18 in different locations, as best shown in FIG. 4. The horizontal extent of elements 16 is such as to contact the corrugation 12 on either side of the gas channel 13 opposite inter-row space 14 between longitudinally spaced transverse rows T of boxes 5.

In addition to outer uprights 15, the boxed produce load according to the invention includes wood inner uprights 19 inserted between and vertically engaging inner load boxes 5 of the spaced transverse rows T at the intersections of the longitudinal rows L and transverse rows. The inner uprights 19 are provided with outwardly horizontally projecting corrugated thin elements 20 which are embedded in the inner uprights (see FIG. 3) and which extend therefrom normally to the transverse rows T and which are engaged between laterally adjacent boxes, as shown, thus to prevent shifting of the inner uprights during transport of container 2.

ln filling a container 2 with a boxed produce load in accordance with the invention, several layers of boxes 5 are placed in a first transverse row T-l in abutting engagement with container end wall 9 to fill the width of the container. Inner uprights 19 are set at the intersections of the boxes 5 with their thin elements 20 projecting between the opposing transverse sides 8 of the boxes. Outer uprights are set in position on opposite sides of the row T-l with their projecting elements 16 bridging a gas channel 13. A second, T-2, and third, T-3, transverse row of boxes several layers deep is filled into the container and additional inner and outer uprights 15, 19 are set into place as described. This process is continued until the container 2 is filled to the maximum height, width and length, see FIG. 1.

Thus filled, the container 2 carries a maximum box load but because of the provision of inner and outer spaces l5, 19, gas circulates throughout the container, past the outer uprights and between spaced transverse rows T-l, T-2 et cetera for initial cooling of the load after filling or for in-transit refrigeration.

I claim:

1. A boxed produce load for refrigerated transport containers having vertically irregularized, longitudinal walls providing plural, contiguous, refrigerating gas circulation channels about the container load space, said load comprising boxes snugly confined between said walls in plural transverse and longitudinal stacked rows and means spacing'transverse rows opposite a circulation channel for gas circulation therebetween, said means including outer uprights at opposite sides of the load inserted between and vertically engaging spaced opposing outer load boxes and adjacent said channels and relatively thin elements projecting from opposite sides of said outer uprights bridging the channel adjacent thereto and engaged between said boxes and said wall to prevent shifting of said outer uprights during transport.

2. Boxed produce load according to claim 1 including also inner uprights inserted between and vertically engaging inner load boxes of said spaced transverse rows at the intersections of said longitudinal and transverse rows and relatively thin elements projecting from said inner uprights normally to said transverse rows and engaged between said boxes to prevent shifting of said inner uprights during transport.

3. Boxed produce load according to claim 2 including also a plurality of said projections on each upright at vertically spaced locations.

4. Boxed produce load according to claim 1 in which said longitudinal walls are vertically corrugated to define said gas circulation channels and said transverse rows are compacted between said longitudinal walls to have longitudinally extending box sides in closed engagement in substantially continuous vertical sequence in each stack and said spacing means is located between successive pairs of said transverse rows and opposite a channel for gas circulation.

5. Boxed produce load according to claim 4 in which said outer uprights are dimensioned to permit said boxes to substantially completely engage said walls.

6. Boxed produce load according to claim 5 including also inner uprights in the plane of opposed pairs of outer uprights and located at the intersections of said transverse and longitudinal rows inserted between and vertically engaging spaced opposing stacked boxes and thin metal elements projecting from said inner uprights normally to said plane engaged between transversely adjacent boxes to prevent shifting of said inner uprights during transport, said inner upright elements being dimensioned to permit said transversely adjacent boxes to substantially completely interengage one another.

a an in 

1. A boxed produce load for refrigerated transport containers having vertically irregularized, longitudinal walls providing plural, contiguous refrigerating gas circulation channels about the container load space, said load comprising boxes snugly confined between said walls in plural transverse and longitudinal stacked rows and means spacing transverse rows opposite a circulation channel for gas circulation therebetween, said means including outer uprights at opposite sides of the load inserted between and vertically engaging spaced opposing outer load boxes and adjacent said channels and relatively thin elements projecting from opposite sides of said outer uprights bridging the channel adjacent thereto and engaged between said boxes and said wall to prevent shifting of said outer uprights during transport.
 2. Boxed produce load according to claim 1 including also inner uprights inserted between and vertically engaging inner load boxes of said spaced transverse rows at the intersections of said longitudinal and transverse rows and relatively thin elements projecting from said inner uprights normally to said transverse rows and engaged between said boxes to prevent shifting of said inner uprights during transport.
 3. Boxed produce load according to claim 2 including also a plurality of said projections on each upright at vertically spaced locations.
 4. Boxed produce load according to claim 1 in which said longitudinal walls are vertically corrugated to define said gas circulation channels and said transverse rows are compacted between said longitudinal walls to have longitudinally extending box sides in closed engagement in substantially continuous vertical sequence in each stack And said spacing means is located between successive pairs of said transverse rows and opposite a channel for gas circulation.
 5. Boxed produce load according to claim 4 in which said outer uprights are dimensioned to permit said boxes to substantially completely engage said walls.
 6. Boxed produce load according to claim 5 including also inner uprights in the plane of opposed pairs of outer uprights and located at the intersections of said transverse and longitudinal rows inserted between and vertically engaging spaced opposing stacked boxes and thin metal elements projecting from said inner uprights normally to said plane engaged between transversely adjacent boxes to prevent shifting of said inner uprights during transport, said inner upright elements being dimensioned to permit said transversely adjacent boxes to substantially completely interengage one another. 